Reciprocating drive mechanisms may be used to transport fluids, liquids, and/or gases and are generally used in various applications, such as manufacturing process control, hydraulic systems, and the like. The reciprocating drive mechanism may comprise a spool housed within the pump and is generally configured to move compressed air based on differential pressures within the pump. Specifically, during an upstroke motion, the spool chamber may be pressurized by supply gas, thereby causing the spool to move towards the top cover. On the other hand, during a downstroke motion, the end chamber may compress, which may pressurize the one or more spool chambers with a recovery pressure, thereby causing the spool to move towards the flange of the housing assembly.
In these pump designs, some of the gases used to drive the reciprocating drive mechanism are generally recaptured (i.e., gas recovery) due to mandated environmental laws, as opposed to venting into the atmosphere once the gas is used. As a result, various pump designs have been introduced to capture the gas in different exhaust ports.
Unfortunately, the use of these various pump designs are limited because the supply gas pressure usually must be reduced in order for the pump to function properly. This in turn causes the recaptured gas to also be subsequently reduced. This typically forces the user to again redirect the recovered gas back into a lower pressure system, in order for the recaptured gas to be a reusable.
Importantly, these reciprocating drive mechanism must also use low pressure gas because the seals of these pumps cannot be maintained at higher pressures. These seals may also be subject to excessive wear at higher temperatures, which can ultimately lead to warping. The seals may also lose optimal contact with the spool of the pump. The flanges holding the seal may also not sufficiently hold or retain the seal.
Therefore, there is a need for a design enhancement for a reciprocating pump that will be capable of functioning at higher pressures. Preferably, the new reciprocating drive pump will allow the pump to function at high operating pressure and produce zero emission while preventing the seals from leaving the spool.